The Hands-Down Best Ordering Hacks For 6 Popular Fast Food Burgers

There are so many tasty fast food burgers out there to try. If you're a big fan of burgers, though, there's a good chance that you've already had a lot of what's on the most common fast food burger joint menus. Even if you love these burgers in their original forms, there are always ways to make them better ... or even just a little more exciting. That's why you might want to try some fast food burger ordering hacks the next time you get a craving for a juicy burger. Some of these hacks will earn you even more meat than a standard burger offers, while others will get you juicier, fresher-tasting burgers. Plus, we're covering several different burger spots so you can try a new ordering hack no matter what your fave fast food joint is.

Although you'll have to make a few special requests to hack these burgers, none of these hacks should be too egregious an ask when you're placing your order. Of course, you should always ask kindly and courteously when you're requesting something from the actual menu. However, since these upgrades are fairly well-known, there's a good chance the staff won't have a problem making these changes. Get ready for your favorite fast food burgers to taste better than ever.

There are some people out there who specifically order hamburgers instead of cheeseburgers because they want to focus on the flavor of the meat without any distraction from the cheese. We don't understand those people, and if you feel the same way we do, then you're probably trying to maximize the amount of cheese in your burger. If this is your burger MO, then you might want to try ordering a Five Guys grilled cheese burger. It's not actually on the menu, but this simple ordering hack will ensure that you get the cheesiest burger you've ever tried from Five Guys.

Basically, all you have to do is order a grilled cheese at your local Five Guys, then ask the staff to add burger patties to your sandwich. The restaurant doesn't use normal slices of bread for this — rather, the grilled cheese is made with inverted buns, allowing the flat surface to come into contact with the hot pan to get that ideal exterior crisp. This gets you that classic grilled cheese flavor (along with lots of cheese), but you're still getting your burger fix at the same time. Honestly, this combo is delicious as-is, but you can also choose to add extra toppings if you want the sandwich to taste more like a classic burger. For a thinner burger, order a single patty, but you can also double or triple up if you're feeling particularly hungry.

Have you ever ordered a fast food burger that's been sort of lukewarm and doesn't really taste fresh? It happens, and it's a bummer whenever it does. It's a hassle to go back into the restaurant to ask for them to cook it so it's hot and fresher-tasting, but you don't want to have to settle for a subpar burger either. Luckily, though, at Burger King, there's one simple request you can make to ensure that you get a burger fresh off the grill: Ask for it "off broiler." You can also ask for your burger "OB" to keep things short and sweet.

What, exactly, does "off broiler" mean? It basically just means that the burger has come off the broiler immediately before being placed in your sandwich. This results in an especially hot patty, so be careful before you take a bite. However, one Redditor says that you shouldn't make this request when the Burger King you're at is really busy. Not only can it be tricky for employees to pull that off when they're in the weeds, but at that point, your burger will come out super fresh anyway, since they'll be making so many patties.

It's the age-old question McDonald's burger lovers have to ponder every time they're at the drive-thru: Should you get the Big Mac or a Quarter Pounder? For those who love a thicker, juicier burger patty, the Quarter Pounder is the way to go. It's also arguably a more classic version of a burger, with pickles, mustard, and ketchup. But it's hard not to love what a McDonald's Big Mac has to offer. That extra slice of bread, those tiny little square onions, the famous Big Mac sauce (just one of many sauces at McDonald's). It's definitely a tough call! Luckily, though, you can get a little bit of both when you order your McDonald's Quarter Pounder "Big Mac" style.

To pull off this fast food burger hack, you should first request a Quarter Pounder, then ask the staff to leave off the usual ketchup and mustard combo. Ideally, you should also ask for an Artisan potato roll. You might not always be able to get it, but it'll give you an experience that's more similar to a classic Big Mac. Finally, request Big Mac sauce on your burger. It's a mashup of the two classics that's going to hit the spot no matter which one you usually order.

Fast food burgers aren't really particularly light fare, so they're a good option when you're feeling hungry and want to indulge. But when you're extra ravenous, a standard burger might not do the trick. Times like these are exactly when you may want to make your way to a Wendy's drive-thru to snag yourself a Wendy's Meat Cube. Is that a dish that sounds delicious? Maybe not. But for meat lovers, it's an excellent way to take a classic fast food burger from good to absolutely drool-worthy.

You can pull off this hack with just about any burger on the menu. All you have to do is ask for however many extra patties you want. Apparently, this is a relatively standard request, so the staff probably won't have a problem accommodating you. Just keep in mind that you will be charged for the extra patties, so be sure to ask how much the extras are if you're keeping a close eye on your budget. Plus, at a certain point, your sandwich might become difficult to hold if you're working with too many layers. We think there's definitely such a thing as too much meat on a burger, but by testing out this ordering hack, you can be the one to test that limit.

Burgers almost exclusively come on buns. Sure, those buns may differ from one fast food establishment and one burger to another, but ultimately, the idea is always the same: the fluffy texture, the one flat and one curved surface, and a slightly larger top bun than bottom. But if you're open-minded and not married to burger convention, your bun can look — and taste — a lot different. At Culver's, you can order your burger on sourdough instead of a bun for a unique sandwich experience you won't be able to find at most other fast food joints.

This hack is doable at Culver's specifically because the restaurant already has two different sandwiches on the menu that come on sourdough: the Wisconsin Swiss Melt and the Sourdough Melt. Because they already have that sourdough in the kitchen, they can easily switch it out with a more traditional bun. You can do this with any burger on the menu, so you can choose whichever one has the toppings you like most. Maybe you'll discover that your favorite Culver's burger order tastes better with bread and without the bun.

If you ask us, McDonald's doesn't have the best burger buns in the business. But there's one sandwich at the chain burger joint that actually does have a really great-tasting bun, and it's the Filet-O-Fish. It turns out that the bun is tastier than any of the other burger buns at McDonald's because it's steamed right before it's handed out at the drive-thru window. This results in a bun that's airier and squishier (in a good way), with an almost cloud-like texture. But you don't have to order a Filet-O-Fish to get this incredible bun experience at McDonald's — you can order any other burger with a steamed bun as well. This means that you can get an instant upgrade with your Big Macs, Quarter Pounders, and even Double Cheeseburgers.

You can either ask the staff specifically for a steamed bun, or you can just say that you want the bun that's used for the Filet-O-Fish. Apparently, it may take a bit longer to receive your order if you do ask for this upgrade, but we think it's worth it as long as the McDonald's location you're at isn't too busy. Once you've tried a steamed bun, you may never want to go back to a plain one again.